


La Jueza

by pimpinchilton



Category: Law & Order: SVU
Genre: Gender-neutral Reader, Meeting the Parents, Other, Reader-Insert
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-04
Updated: 2018-12-04
Packaged: 2019-09-07 08:18:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,061
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16850470
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pimpinchilton/pseuds/pimpinchilton
Summary: While unplanned, meeting Rafael's mother for the first time doesn't go as badly as you'd feared.





	La Jueza

**Author's Note:**

> Shout out to seekret-fanfic on Tumblr, who basically held my hand through the process. Even with her guidance, I’m not sure Lucia is 100% in character, she’s hard to write.
> 
> Request: How about meeting Barba’s mom for the first time? I feel like she’d be a little scary at first

“Rafi?” You called out as you pocketed your spare key.

You froze when you saw them sitting on the sofa. Rafael was staring at you, eyes wide, looking vaguely terrified. Beside him sat an older, well-dressed woman who appeared to be sizing you up. As the stunned silence continued, she turned to raise an eyebrow at your boyfriend. He rose from the couch, more nervous than you had ever seen him.

“Y/N, I wasn’t expecting you!” The woman stood and watched as Rafael explained, “This is my mother, Lucia Barba. Mami, this is Y/N.”

Lucia stepped forward and shook your hand. “It’s nice to finally put a face to the name. I was beginning to wonder if I’d ever meet you.”

Rafael tried to hide his embarrassment. He had put off introducing you to his mother, wanting to make sure the meeting went as smoothly as possible. You showing up unexpectedly, using the apartment key he had given you, was far from what he had envisioned.

“It’s wonderful to meet you. I’m sorry, Rafael didn’t mention that you would be here. I didn’t mean to interrupt.”

“I just dropped by. My son hasn’t been to see me much lately. Now I can see why.”

You tried to hide your panic behind a sweet smile, wishing you could just sink through the floor and disappear.

“I’ve been busy at work, Mami,” Rafael came to your aid.

“Well, we’re all here now. How about we order dinner so we can get to know each other?”

As nerve-wracking as that sounded, you knew you needed to make a good impression. Rafael loved his mother, and you didn’t like your chances if he had to pick between the two of you.

“I’ll go get the delivery menus,” you volunteered.

“She sure knows her way around your apartment,” Lucia observed once you left the room.

“Mami, Y/N is very important to me. Please be nice.”

“Who says I’m not nice?”

At that moment, you returned with the menus. The three of you picked a restaurant and ordered, then settled in the living room to wait.

“Rafael tells me you’re a detective. I thought you’d be a little older. You have family on the force?”

You could tell Rafael was ready to say something, but you shrugged off her implication and said “No, I just love my job. It’s hard work, but well worth it.”

“Are you planning to stay where you are or keep working your way up?”

You couldn’t tell which was the right answer, but simply told the truth, “I’m already studying for the sergeant’s exam, but it’ll be a few years before I can be promoted.”

“Sounds like you put in a lot of hours. it’s a wonder you two have any time together.”

This time Rafael did cut in. “We make it work. And with Y/N at SVU, we’re on a lot of the same cases.”

Before Lucia could continue her interrogation, the bell rang, and you went to answer it while Rafael set the dining room table

Coversation was lighter as the three of you ate. You asked Lucia how the school was doing, and she seemed happy to have a chance to talk about the work she dedicated so much of her life to.

She even shared some stories of your boyfriend’s childhood, much to his embarrassment. You loved hearing about the scrawny, mouthy kid who had grown up to be your favorite (still mouthy) ADA.

“I probably should have known he was destined to be a lawyer. When he was in school, he could talk the other kids into anything.”

Rafael knew from experience exactly where this was headed. “Mami, please.”

“Well now I have to hear this,” you said, leaning forward slightly.

Lucia smiled and continued. “I got a call at work one day from Rafi’s preschool teacher. She said I needed to come pick him up and that I needed to have a serious talk with him.

“It was January, and she’d had all of the kids out for recess. She turned away for just a moment, and when she looked back, she saw no less than six of these little 4-year-olds crowded around the flagpole with their tongues stuck and Rafi standing by looking shocked. Turns out he heard one of the older kids saying something about what a riot it was licking frozen flagpoles, and rather than try it himself, Raf convinced all of his classmates that it was some kind of game.”

“I didn’t know what would happen,” Rafael mumbled, blushing.

“Were they okay?” You asked, stunned.

“Oh, they were fine. When you work with kids, you get very good at dealing with the usual stuff. Though he didn’t exactly endear himself to the parents with that stunt.”

Eager to change the subject, Rafael cleared his throat and started talking about a case you worked last week. They’d had no physical evidence, and the girl who had been attacked was just too traumatized to testify. You had played your part brilliantly, getting a full confession from the perp when everyone else was already resigned to the fact that they’d have to let him go.

Lucia had heard enough such stories from Rafael to know he was already falling for you. This time it was your reaction she studied.

The adoration in your gaze was obvious. You watched Rafael speak as if there was nowhere in the world you would rather be. Lucia had seen what happened with Yelina, when her son was too blinded by his own feelings to realized they were not returned. It eased her worry to see you just as lovesick as Rafael was.

“Mami?” Rafael’s voice shook her from her thoughts while you began clearing the table. “Do you want me to drive you home? It’s getting late.”

“I’m perfectly capable of getting home on my own, Raf.”

“At least let me call you a cab?”

It was clearly not the first time they’d had this argument, and Lucia eventually gave in.

When the cab arrived, Lucia kissed and hugged Rafael goodbye and turned to you. To your surprise, you also received a kiss and a brief but sincere hug.

She cupped your face and said, “It was good to meet you, dear,” before turning to Rafael. “Call me. I don’t want you keeping anymore secrets.”


End file.
